SC raps Karnataka on highway corridor project

SC raps Karnataka on highway corridor project
Press Trust of India / Daily News and Analysis


NEW DELHI: The Karnataka government on Friday gave an undertaking before the Supreme Court that it shall not proceed further with the judicial enquiry ordered by it through impounded notification dated July 10, 2006 for a probe into the alleged bungling in the Banglore-Mysore Express Highway case.

An angry Supreme Court took the state government to task for trying to scuttle about Rs 3000 crore project despite the orders of Karnataka High Court as well as of this court giving green signal for the completion of the project.

The court also took exception to the irresponsible and reckless statement made by a ruling party MLA in the state leveling wild allegations against the Supreme Court judges who decided the case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice C K Thakker was also informed by the Karnataka government counsel that the remarks made by JD(S) MLA Rajanna on the floor of the Assembly have already been expunged from the assembly proceedings.

The court observed, ''Please tell your government to keep politics away from some projects and also from the courts.''

Telling the state government that it was acting malafide to scuttle the project the court's order said ''having regard to serious charge of malafide in instituting judicial inquiry through notification dated July 10, 2006, we are inclined to stay the notification.

However, state government counsel Verma makes a statement on behalf of the government that it will not proceed further with the judicial inquiry, in this view it is not necessary to stay the impugned notification.''

Earlier, counsel for the petitioner Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Limited (NICE) pleaded before the court that it was a case of complete breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state.

The judicial enquiry was to be headed by former Delhi High Court Chief Justice B C Patel. The court also issued notices to the respondents, except respondent number two directing them to file their responses within four weeks and the petitioner is to file this rejoinder within four weeks there after.

The Supreme Court had earlier imposed an exemplary cost of Rs 5 laks on the state govt for filing frivolous appeal to scuttle the project.

Earlier, public interest litigation was filed in Karnataka High Court by a ruling party MLA seeking CBI enquiry into the acquisition of 2450 acres of excess land for giving it to M/s Nandi who were allegedly indulging in real estate business to make huge illegal profit.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and his son the then PWD minister in the state, Ravanna are under cloud for allegedly frustrating the progress of the project.

The present government in the state is also headed by H D Kumaraswami who is also son of H D Deve Gowda. And this government instituted judicial inquiry which was to be conducted by former Delhi High Court judge B C Patel.